OUTLINE
I. Anthropology: Definition of
II. Existence of man: Theories
A. Theistic views
1. Day-age theory
2. Theistic evolution
3. Gap theory
4. Literal 24-hour-day
B. Atheistic view
III. Essence of man
A. Material
B. Non-material
1. Elements which comprise
a. Soul/spirit
1) Soul
2) Spirit
3) Views of soul and spirit
a) Dichotomous view
b) Trichotomous view
b. Heart
c. Mind
d. Conscience
e. Flesh
2. Theories of non-material essence of man
a. Theory of preexistence
b. Creation theory
c. Traducian theory
C. Made in the image of God
1. Meaning of the terms
2. How do we resemble God?
3. Are we still in the image and likeness of God?
IV. Fall of man
A. Facts
1. Fall of mankind (Adam and Eve) — Gen. 3:1-5:32
a. The sin of Adam and Eve — Gen. 3:1-24
1) The temptation of Eve and the fall — vss. 1-7
a) Identification of the serpent — vs. 1a
b) Temptation of Eve — vss. 1b-5
1. Eve detracted from what God had said
2. Eve added a prohibition God had not given
3. Eve lessened the consequence of disobeying God’s
command
c) Result of the temptation of Eve — vss. 6-7
2) The accusations associated with the fall — vss. 8-13
3) The curses associated with the fall — vss. 14-19
a) For the serpent — vss. 14-15
1. All creation was cursed — vs. 14a-d
2. The serpent was cursed — vs. 14
a. Serpent was cursed more than any other animal
b. Serpent was to eat dust as it crawled on its belly all the
days of its life
c. Satan would have enmity between him and the woman
d. Satan would have enmity between his seed and the
woman’s seed
e. Satan would be bruised on the head though he would
only bruise the woman’s seed on the heel
b) For the woman — vs. 16
1. Her pain in childbirth would be greatly multiplied — vs.
16a-c
2. Her desire would be to rule over her husband — vs. 16d-e
c) For the man — vss. 17-19
1. Reason for Adam’s curse — vs. 17a-d
a. “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife”
b. Because you “have eaten from the tree about which I
commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it'”
2. The curse — vss. 17e-19
a. Cursed is the ground — vss. 17e-19a
1) Toil — vs. 17e-g
2) Thorns and thistles — vs. 18
3) Sweat — vs. 19a
b. You shall return to the ground — vs. 19b-e
4) The actions of God because of the fall — vss. 20-24
a) God made Adam and Eve garments — vss. 20-21
b) God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden — vss. 22-23
c) God kept Adam and Eve from the tree of life — vs. 24
2. Results of the fall
a. Sin entered the world — cf. Gen. 4:8
b. Wickedness spread throughout the world — Gen. 6:5
c. Mankind became condemned — Rom. 5:8
B. Sin
C. Consequences
1. To Adam and Eve: Personally
a. Physical
b. Spiritual
2. To mankind: Individually
a. Sin
1) Definition: Imputation
2) Original sin
a) Its imputation — Rom. 5:12-14
b) Its condemnation — Rom. 5:15-17
c) Its result — Rom. 5:18-21
3) Theories of imputation of sin
a. Pelagian Theory
b. Arminian Theory
c. Federal Theory
d. Augustinian Theory (or The Realistic Theory)
e. The Theory of Mediate Imputation
f. The Corporate Personality Theory
4) Biblical arguments (From Romans 5:12-21)
b. Other consequences
1) Sin nature and total depravity of man
a) Sin nature
b) Total depravity
2) Death
a) Physical
b) Spiritual
3) Guilt
4) Spiritual consequences
E. Man’s need: Christ
1. Forgiveness
2. Justification
3. New nature/self
INTRODUCTION:
WHY STUDY SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY?
The study of systematic theology helps believers to systematize what the Bible teaches on a specific subject. In your time at Kiev Christian University you will study the following areas of systematic theology:
* Theology Proper (The study of God)
* Anthropology (The study of man)
* Bibliology (The study of the Bible)
* Pneumatology (The study of the Holy Spirit)
* Christology (The study of Christ)
* Soteriology (The study of salvation)
* Ecclesiology (The study of the church)
* Eschatology (The study of end time events)
When you can see what the Bible teaches on these subjects within their proper context and dispensation, you will be able to better understand the Bible and these areas of theology.
Also, you will be able to better understand how to live your life in a more Christlike manner. I say this because every person has a theology (theo = God; -ology = study of). Even an atheist has a theology. It is just that their theology and our theology is different. Theology from an atheistic point of view is that God does not exist. Therefore, the spiritual realm does not exist; we are nothing more than the result of evolution and biological processes; we have no soul; there is no heaven or hell; there will be no future judgment. This is the theology of the average atheist. This theology directs them in life.
What about you? What is your theology? How does what you believe about the Bible (correct of incorrect) direct your life? Your decisions? Your future? This is why theology is crucial to our lives, because we all have a theology by which we live. So as we study together this semester, we need to ask God to make these biblical truths real in our personal lives; and as we rely on them on a day-to-day, moment-by-moment basis, we will have victory over our flesh and the devil. So when we are confronted with the happenings of everyday life that seem to contradict the truths we understand about God, we can call upon the truths of His inerrant and infallible Word for stability and direction.
BODY:
I. Anthropology: Definition of
The word anthropology comes from two Greek words, anthropos which
means “man,” and logos, which means “word.” Therefore, anthropology
means the word or discourse about man, or the study of man.
II. Existence of man: Theories
A. Theistic views
1. Day-age theory
Otherwise known as progressive creationism, the day-age theory teaches that the six days of God’s creation were not literal 24-hour days. Instead progressive creationists believe that the six days correspond to geological ages. They use Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8 to help prove their claim which state:
Psalm 90:4:
“For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by, or as a watch in the night.
2 Peter 3:8:
“But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.”
So when looking at the six days of creation, these days they believe are thousands of years long. Why do they view things this way? They are trying to correlate what the Bible says with what science claims is true. Since science states that the earth is billions of years old, they try to correlate the Bible with the findings of science.
How should they look at it instead? Progressive creationists should see that the Bible is God’s authoritative Word, and in it that God says He created everything in six days, resting on the seventh. Therefore, the hypothesis that the world is billions of years old is wrong.
One Biblical argument against this view is found in Exodus 20:8-11, which states:
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9″Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11″For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.”
In this passage Moses contrasts the six day work week of the Jews with God’s six days of work when He created. When comparing this passage with Genesis 1:1-2:3, we see that God created in literal, 24-hour days.
The day-age theory is similar in nature to the teachings of theistic evolution.
2. Theistic evolution
This view states that God began the evolutionary process billions of years ago, where one life form evolved to a higher life form, though He supposedly helped the process along the way. This view also desires to correlate the Bible and science.
This view has many problems as well. It ultimately degrades the view of the Bible, because if things evolved, even with God’s help, then there was no Adam, no Eve, no garden, no sin in the garden, etc. This view as the day-age theory are theories devoid of God and truth.
3. Gap theory
The gap theory views Genesis 1:1-2 as having a gap between these two verses. This gap is seen to be billions of years in length. Those who hold this view also believe that God created everything in six literal, 24-day days. Therefore, gap theorists try to find a way to correlate these two thoughts about creation.
In Genesis 1:1-2, we see that it says:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”
The gap theorist says that on the first day of creation after God created the heavens and the earth, Satan sinned and was cast down to the earth. As a result of this divine judgment, the earth that God had created He destroyed (formless and void accompanied by darkness). Then, after a few billion years, God went back and refashioned the earth that He had judged, this being recorded in the rest of Genesis 1 (days 2 through 6 of God’s creation).
This view does not correlate with the grammar of the passage. Also, this gap and judgment of God is also not spoken about or even alluded to anywhere else in Scripture. This once again is a feeble attempt to correlate the Bible and science.
4. Literal 24-hour-day
This view of creation views Genesis 1:1-2:3 as six literal, 24-hour days in which God created the heavens and the earth. This view does not correlate evolutionary science, but to the contrary, it directly opposes any view that teaches an old earth. Generally people who hold this view see the world as no more than 7,000 to 10,000 years old, and that all scientific evidence to the contrary resulted from the worldwide flood during the time of Noah.
This view teaches that the heavens and the earth, man and animals, and all the fish and plant life upon the earth, as well as the universe and all that it contains, resulted from God’s original creation. We also see in this view that each of the six days of creation are described as one day, each having an evening and a morning. Then after God created all of these things in six literal, 24-hour days, He rested from His labor on the seventh day. This view also is clearly seen from a normal, literal hermeneutic.
B. Atheistic view
The atheistic view that much of the world believes today is called evolution or Darwinism. This view teaches that at some time in the beginning of life, that there was an explosion of condensed matter which is called the Big Bang Theory. As a result of this explosion, matter moved out and away from the center of the explosion, forming planets and stars in the process, and that this process — billions of years later — is still occurring.
Evolutionists further believe that after this matter cooled down, in the case of the planet earth, that the conditions and elements were just right for basic life to begin forming. Then over time, this basic life formed into more complex life forms until eventually man evolved from monkeys. Also, since there is life on earth, then there ultimately could be life on many other planets in many other galaxies.
This view of course opposes the Biblical position presented in Genesis 1. It makes man no more than a highly evolved animal similar to other animals. This view also denies that man is made in the image and likeness of God as the Bible clearly states. It denies the truth of sin and judgment, because as an evolved creature, man is nothing more than a complex animal which does not have a spirit or ultimate, moral responsibility to a Creator and Judge. His only responsibility is to the animal community around him consisting of other people and the laws that they determine as right and wrong as the result of a group consensus. Therefore homosexuality, abortion, euthanasia, sex outside of marriage, etc., are not sin, but only the choices (desires) of mankind. This view also cannot answer the ultimate question, “Where did the initial matter come from that constituted the elements needed for the Big Bang?”
FINAL REMARKS: Except for the literal 24-hour day view of creation, what do the other views ultimately attempt to do? Ultimately these views try to degrade the truth of the book of Genesis, which is the foundational book of the Bible. If this book is not true, then the rest of the Bible is not true as well. And if Satan can cause people to deny the Bible, then he can have his way with mankind. You see, how the world was created is an important issue. How man came into existence is an important issue. As Hebrews 11:3 says:
“By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”
Belief in creation is an act of faith. Belief in evolution is also an act of faith. Believing in evolution I believe is a greater act of faith than believing in creation. Believing in creation is an act of faith in God and the Bible. Believing in evolution is an act of faith in man and science. Was man there when the heavens and the earth were created? No! Was God there? Yes! And He recorded for us what, and in which order, He created everything over a six-day period of time.